Did Mexican Authorities Try To Cover Up The Swine Flu Outbreak?

It appears that Mexican authorites did not want information to get out about the number of deaths from swine flu in their country.In the early stages of this outbreak,medical staff from Mexico City were asked not to put the real cause of death on death certificates.If that is true,it's outrageous!

Here's more from the Telegraph:

"Dr Antonio Chavez, a specialist in respiratory diseases at the Mexico National Institute of Health, said there was panic as medical staff in Mexico City struggled to deal with the problem.

Another doctor claimed that in the early stages, staff were asked not to place the reason for dying on the death certificates.

More than 100 deaths in Mexico have been connected to the swine flu, but only 18 cases have been definitively linked to the virus through laboratory testing.

A further 1,600 people have complained of flu-like symptoms since the authorities publicised their concern about the virus on April 23.

Mexico was not aware of the novel strain of swine flu until tests were carried out by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in America at the end of April.

It is thought the virus - which mainly strikes people in their 20s and 30s - had been prevalent in Mexico since the beginning of March.

Dr Chavez said: "There is a severe emergency over the swine flu here. More and more patients are being admitted to the intensive care unit. Despite the heroic efforts of all staff - doctors, nurses, specialists - patients continue to inevitably die."

Writing on BBC Online, he said many medical staff were scared of catching the virus: "The infection risk is very high among the doctors and health staff.

"There is a sense of chaos in the other hospitals and we do not know what to do. Staff are starting to leave and many are opting to retire or apply for holidays.

"The truth is that mortality is even higher than what is being reported by the authorities, at least in the hospital where I work.

"It is killing three to four patients daily, and it has been going on for more than three weeks." (END OF EXCERPT)Read the rest here.

With All The Uncertainty Surrounding The Swine Flu Outbreak,I Would Not Travel To Mexico!

Despite all of the uncertainty surrounding the rapidly spreading swine flu,people are making trips to Mexico anyway.Well,I would really air on the side of caution & cancel any plans that I had to go to Mexico.Right now,that's what the government is advising.They are suggesting that people put off all non-essential visits to Mexico.Here's an excerpt from an in-depth report on what could become a full-blown pandemic from Newsweek:

"An epidemic of swine flu has recently developed in Mexico and the United States, says the CDC. Swine flu has killed many people, and the outbreak has features that suggest it could become a global pandemic. A pandemic is an epidemic that spreads around the whole world. Pandemics also often cause more severe disease than epidemics.

As of Sunday, April 27, the United States has declared a public health emergency, and suspect or confirmed cases are being reported from many parts of the world. If a pandemic happens, it could be very serious for human health and the global economy (which definitely does not need any more bad news right now)."(END OF EXCERPT)Read the rest here.

Suicidal Ex-NBA Star,Jayson Williams, Was Stunned By A Taser Gun & Hospitalized!

Jayson William's life is apparently on a continuous downward spiral.His wife filed for divorce & he has an alleged drug problem. And after his legal woes in 2004,Jayson Williams is still not out of the woods yet!

Although he was acquitted of aggravated manslaughter,he is still facing a reckless manslaughter count.I guess all these legal & personal issues got the best of him because he tried to commit suicide.Hopefully,he Jayson Williams will get the treatment that he obviously needs.Here's more from the NY Daily News:

"Cops Tasered ex-NBA star Jayson Williams Monday after the troubled hoopster went nuts in his luxury Manhattan hotel room, police sources said.

The popular New Jersey Nets center, who beat the rap trial for shooting his chauffeur in 2002, was rushed to St. Vincent's Hospital in handcuffs after cops found suicide notes and empty bottles of pills in his room, sources said.

"He was barricaded, drinking, taking pills. He was overwhelmed," a police source said. "It all came crashing down."

Police were called to the Hilton Embassy Suites in Battery Park City at 4 a.m., after a female friend called security to report a disturbance in Williams' 15th-floor suite, the sources said.

Williams, 41, trashed his room, forcing Emergency Service Unit officers to subdue the former All-Star with a Taser gun, sources said. It took two sets of handcuffs to restrain the husky star, cops said.

Cops found several suicide notes, including a message scrawled on the wall. They said he was distraught over his divorce, his parents' illnesses and his impending retrial in the chauffeur-shooting case.

Guests arrived home to find the posh hotel transformed into a crime scene. "There were about cop cars and an ambulance outside," said Annette Peters, 29, of Minneapolis.

It was not immediately known if he injured himself or if he was armed.

A few hours later, Williams' manager insisted the troubled ex-athlete was on the mend."(END OF EXCERPT)Read the rest here.